Best diffuser for canon 430 ex II?

[simonbratt99]

Hi
Going to a wedding next month, whats the best diffuser for canon 430 ex II?
Ive seen teh Sto-fen but there seems to be lots of different types and are they any good?

thaanks

 

[RLPhoto]

The sto-fen really isn't really a diffuser as much as it makes a speedlite more bare-bulb. This means that a stofen won't make the light softer but will bounce light in a small room everywhere giving the sense of softer light. Using it directly with no bounce surfaces is a waste of power.

Personally, I use Rogue Flashbenders and the Winglight.

 

[simonbratt99]

ive never used a flash before, whats best for a wedding, i assume softening the light somehow will be useful
Is the built in flip diffuser usless?

 

[RLPhoto]

ive never used a flash before, whats best for a wedding, i assume softening the light somehow will be useful
Is the built in flip diffuser usless?

I saw you site and Great work BTW. It was hard to believe you've never used flash. I submit to istock myself but I've been slacking off lately.

Generally bounce flash, fill flash and Off-camera flash are whats going to be used quite a bit in weddings. The rouge flash benders and wing-light have done decent results with on-camera flash.

The options for off-camera diffusers are ridiculous. I generally like octoboxes & umbrellas for portability.

 

[simonbratt99]

Thanks RL,
Yes never owned a flashgun (used studio lights), but just going to order a canon 430 EX II and looking forward to the creative extras its going to add.
But yes initial need is next month at a wedding, i wont be using a small softbox, i may get laughed at lol. Ill check the two you suggested.

Wing-light wow, nice, but not inconspicious enough.

 

[Wildfire]

At the first wedding I shot, I used a Sto-fen on my 430EX II for the reception. The photographs with the Sto-fen were properly exposed but mediocre in terms of lighting (ugly shadows behind people with dark, underexposed backgrounds/cave look).

I now shoot with the 430EX II bare and on-camera as a fill flash (usually with -1 or -2 stops of FEC) and let two Yongnuo YN560 flashes do the heavy lifting from off-camera light stands.

I still use the Sto-fens from time to time, but they stay off the camera. I only use them when I want my off-camera flashes to have a bare-bulb lighting effect.

Definitely take a look at the YN560s... only ~$50 a piece and they will do a hell of a lot more for your lighting than any on-camera diffuser. Alternatively, depending on what kind of studio strobes you have you can get a battery pack and use them instead of the Yongnuos for the off-camera lights.

 

[digital paradise]

Start in the blue column in the right. 01 -natural looking flash under "flash photography techniques

http://neilvn.com/tangents/

His book is very good as well. All you will ever need.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1584282584/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=planeneilphot-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1584282584

Food for thought. Not saying diffusers are a bad purchase as long as a person understands what they can and cannot do. If you used studio lights you know soft light is all about size of light source and distance to subject. Bigger is better.

http://russellspixelpix.blogspot.ca/2008/11/flash-diffusers-no-need-to-spend-big.html

Two more

http://neilvn.com/tangents/throw-away-the-tupperware/

http://neilvn.com/tangents/flash-photography-techniques/flash-photography-tips/

 

[digital paradise]

A bounce card style diffuser like a rogue bender is a pretty good choice if you need one. Here is a good DIY you can make for $5.

http://super.nova.org/DPR/DIY01/

I stopped looking for the latest and greatest diffuser long ago. I bounce as much as I can. If I can't the flash goes on a bracket, I crank the ISO and make adjustments as required to bring in as much ambient as I can and shoot direct. This has really simplified and made my flash world more fun to use.

 

[simonbratt99]

so as i need a small single source option, would you say a bounce card like this is a better option than a diffuser
http://www.wexphotographic.com/buy-rogue-flashbender-bounce-card-flag/p1522430

 

[captainkanji]

I've been using the Gary Fong lightsphere for awhile now. I've had pretty good results with it. I just got the rogue flashbender with softbox attachment. I'll try it out this weekend.

 

[simonbratt99]

Just ordered the 430exII and a rogue flash bender, thanks

 

[digital paradise]

I've been using the Gary Fong lightsphere for awhile now. I've had pretty good results with it. I just got the rogue flashbender with softbox attachment. I'll try it out this weekend.

The GF sphere is OK if you are in a room that has objects to bounce off. As a stand alone like outdoors it is useless as it throws light 360 degrees in all directions. The size of the area at the front face of the dome that scatters photons which actually reach your subject is slightly bigger than you bare flash. Waste of light and batteries. You will have better control in that situation with the rogue. Indoors as well if the area is big like a convention centre.